Great grandpa's hammer. It has his initials stamped into it and I've used it for all sorts of things around the house and on the car. Now that I know whose it is I'm a lot more careful with it these days.

The hands that guide the tools. Mine are wore out & no longer have the strength or fine motor skills to guide the replaceable widgets.

Delta Unisaw from 1939/1940. I've since added an outfeed table and Biesemeyer fence.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...9&d=1303918817

this is why that puddle beneath the urinals make me angry. we should be much much better and accurate. i've hit a butterfly! flying?

U beat me to the retort.

I have my Grandfather's Mould making tools and box from when he started working for Ford in 1916. Also I have tools that are even older that he aqquired along the way.

Plus I have my Dads wooden machinist chest and tools from Packard when he worked there in the 1930's and 40's.

Then there is the Jap bayonet and prewar style US military machete. Sovenigners from the Pacific in WW2 that possibly came from my Dads cousin who was in the PT Boat squadron with JFK? Those were in Grandfather's work shop.

I have one, too...still in the box.

I have an ancient Makita 10" chopsaw that my brother gave me ages ago. The thing won't die; I've used it for every home improvement project large to small and it just keeps on chugging.

Up until this year it was my air compressor, 1945 WW2 surplus. 160gal lie down tank. Date is stamped on the tank and labeled on the head, made in Canada.
I've had it since the mid eighties, positive the 5hp motor had been replaced, but it was the original head and tank. Last summer it started banging and before I could hit the breaker it tossed a rod. I replaced the head ($500) with a Rollair.

So now all that is left is the tank, I thought about replacing the whole deal but the tank is in the loft and weighs a ton.

What is your oldest and best tool?
 

Out of grand dads machinist tool box from the 30's works great for setting spring height on Porsche heads.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e2609903ef.jpg

And his tool box he made with some of the old tools still in it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1cf38edfb4.jpg

Sent from me

oldest "tool"...kinda
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452557618.jpg

Gandfathers S&W .357 pre-model 28, also called, Highway Patrolman. MFG in 1954.
He was deputized as a reserve Sheriff Deputy during the big flood in No. Calif. in 1956.

1973 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Steve

I still have some basic pliers from the 80s.
My 30 year old heat gun just died last year.

I don't think I have ever tossed out a tool.
Still have a little hammer that I had from my child's tool box when I was 3.
I actually use it sometimes for tacking very small nails.

Just remembered something else...
 

I've never known a time in my life when this very Nicholson 4-in-hand wasn't part of my dad's toolbox.

I had one of my own, but now I use this one whenever I have a home improvement project bigger than hanging a towel bar. It's not as sharp as it used to be, but it still works fine for removing the rough edges from a sawcut or making a hole just that much bigger or anytime a 4-in-hand is the tool for the job..


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452655093.jpg

I have my dad's old Weller soldering gun that I still use for anything that needs some serious wattage. It's lousy for semi-conductors but just the ticket for working on old point to point wired stuff and reflowing old ground connections.

Not it, but looks like this one.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452710782.jpg

i have the same one..but mine is new and from mexico. :(

all my bastard files are ancient and from the good old USA.

This is my oldest and best tool - at least what it was used for. I retired it some years ago mostly in favor of a heavy duty heat gun. I think my dad had it since maybe the '40s. I had two but gave one to my neighbor. I like looking at it once in a while.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452720657.jpg

I remember those...been a long time.
Never used one but my uncle had one.

I was doing some work on my rally car and had to remove the water and oil coolant lines to the turbo. Very tight quarters and couldn't get any sort of wrench on the water line without partially disassembling the turbo. So I went DEEP into the recesses of my tool chest and found an old open-end wrench stamped 'Ford'. It's very thin and has sort of tapered openings. I got it from my Grandpa 30 years ago and forgot about it. Worked perfect and I now keep it in the car's tool kit. Turns out it's a 1917 Ford Model T wrench :eek: My Grandpa was a Ford mechanic.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452735243.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1452735804.jpg